Heading off to university? We have your ultimate list of essentials to make moving into halls or shared accommodation an easy and fun experience. Covering bedroom, bathroom and kitchen accessories, this guide is sure to make moving to uni an easy process.
Keep reading for a list of our essentials, perfect to set you up for a great year.
University Bedroom Essentials
You can find everything you need from duvet covers and pillows to mattress protectors all on our website. After purchasing all the necessities, you’ll be able to get creative with a new colour scheme. Choose a colour scheme that has a variety of complementing tones to make adding some home accessories a breeze.
Looking for something that will last? Shop the Homescapes range of 100% Egyptian cotton. Our 200-thread count range is the perfect option, as it’s affordable and durable. Not to mention it comes in a variety of colours and shades. Mix and match a couple of colours and alternate between them, if you want to keep your room looking fresh all year round.
💡Top Tip: make your room comfortable with our luxury velvet blankets, which is sure to make any room feel comfy and homely.
The Essentials Checklist
✔ 10.5 Tog Duvet: The perfect weight for all-weather cosiness, you won’t need to worry about buying multiple duvets throughout the year. Just make sure to layer up with additional throws in the winter!
✔ Pillow Pair: our luxury hotel quality pillow pair is a must-have for any student. Hypoallergenic and made from our finest super microfibre, they provide comfort as well as durability. Other fillings such as feather and down are also available.
✔ Mattress Protector: not only does this make keeping your mattress fresh a breeze, but it’ll also provide an additional layer of protection if your mattress has been used by another the year before.
✔ Egyptian Cotton Duvet Cover Set: the Homescapes 100% Egyptian cotton not only gets softer with every wash, but the affordable price makes it a must-have for students and graduates alike. Available in a range of colours and sizes, we advise investing in at least two duvet sets.
✔ Egyptian Cotton Pillowcase: the housewife pillowcase will make changing the bed a quick and easy task. While duvet cover sets will include a pillowcase, it can’t hurt to have spares – perhaps in different colours, for the ultimate mix and match look.
✔ Egyptian Cotton Fitted Sheet: this easy-to-use sheet is fully elasticated around the edges, making it quick and easy to change as needed. We recommend having at least two of these with you.
University Room Décor
Floor cushions and knitted pouffes are handy for small uni rooms as they not only make extra seating for friends, but they can make studying on the floor a comfortable experience. Generously filled and available in a variety of colours, they’re a must-have for comfort while working.
Looking to keep the room bright? Then why not place one of our artificial plants on your windowsill, desk or bedside table? All the beauty of a real plant, without the stress of keeping it alive! Don’t worry, our range of plants are so realistic no one will ever know.
💡Top Tip: if your bed is against the wall, you can place your floor cushions or scatter cushions along the wall. This will turn your bed into a seating area – the ideal space for reading a book or working on your laptop away from the crowded common areas or library.
The Home Accessories Checklist
✔ Floor Cushions: if your budget allows, we recommend at least three of these. They’re great for adding comfort to your chair, as well as for study sessions on the floor or even outside. We know how dull sitting at your desk can be!
✔ Knitted Pouffe: a multi-functional piece of home furniture, great for adding colour and style to any university room. Can be used as a side table, additional seating, for putting your feet up and a whole lot more. Available in dozens of colours and shades, two sizes and multiple shapes.
✔ Artificial Potted Plants: add a touch of décor to your room. Most university lodgings will be monotone, so an artificial plant or two is a quick and easy way to add colour and personality to your room.
✔ Rugs and Runners: unroll a rug into your room to add some warmth and style to your floor. Choose from 100% cotton, leather, hemp rugs and more.
✔ Weighted Blankets: going to university can be a stressful time. What better to combat that than a weighted blanket? Make sure to check the size and weight of the blanket prior to purchase.
✔ Reading Cushions: Looking for something a bit more supportive when sitting at a table or on the floor? Our range of reading cushions are perfect for long days reading or studying. The extra-large cushion also comes with a detachable headrest for maximum support.
Bathroom Essentials
An ultimate essential for any uni student is a bathrobe. Not only is it great for the walk from your shower to your room, but you can pop your dressing gown on whenever you’re feeling the chill. A terry towelling bathrobe will always help you stay dry and warm.
To complete your bathroom essentials list, you will also need to purchase a set of towels. A bath towel, hand towel and face cloth are all you need. However, it is handy to have a least two sets so you have one for washing and one for using.
Don’t want to risk getting towels mixed up with someone else’s in the laundry room? Homescapes also offer personalised towels. You can add up to 12 characters, making sure that you always know which towels are yours.
The Bathroom Essentials Checklist
✔ Bathrobe: available in adults or kids sizes and many colours, these comfy robes are a must-have for any student. Options include hooded or shawl collar robes, as well as waffle robe options.
✔ Personalised Towels: thick, absorbent and embroidered for a personal touch, a personalised towel bale will last you for your academic life. We recommend at least one towel bale be taken with you to university. However, if you wanted to be prepared, two bales would be a safe bet!
✔ Two Piece Bath Mat Set: lucky enough to have an ensuite? Put a personal touch onto it with our luxury bath mat set. With one mat to go around the sink base, and another to go alongside your tub, this colourful set will brighten up the room. Will you be getting the matching towels, too?
✔ Bathroom Plants: Don’t have an ensuite but still want to brighten things up? Add a couple of artificial bathroom plants into the mix. Great for decorating shelves and tops of cupboards, they’ll add a bit of personality to your space.
Kitchen Essentials
This may be your first time buying kitchen essentials, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a boring job. We use a range of bright colours and patterns to create our collection of kitchen accessories.
We have everything you’ll need, from tea towels and aprons to placemats and dining table linen. While we know most students will be happy eating pizza from a box, it’s nice to have the option to spruce things up if mum and dad drop by.
If cooking isn’t your forte though, you can still brighten up the space for your flatmates. Why not take a look at the range of kitchen clocks, wall art or even a mirror?
The Kitchen Essentials Checklist
✔ Machine Washable Aprons: available in one size and a range of colours and patterns, these unisex aprons are great for protecting your clothes should the urge to cook take place. If things do get messy, simply add your apron to the laundry basket, and wash up to 30 degrees.
✔ Oven Gloves and Mitts: don’t like the idea of sharing one mitt or glove between eight of you in halls? Why not pick up one of your own for as little as £3.99. Available in a variety of colours and patterns.
✔ Bread Baskets: don’t worry, these aren’t traditional baskets. Reversible in design, they’re a colourful alternative to simple plastic bowls if you fancy adding snacks to your game nights. Er, we mean, study sessions!
✔ Tea Towels: available in packs of two or three, these patterned tea towels will add a bit of pizzazz and style to your washing-up duties. Which pattern will you pick?
✔ Cotton Placemats: fancy doing less housework? Having a placemat under your bowl of spaghetti might save a clean-up job after. If you spill, add it to the laundry pile with your apron. Placemats are sold in packs of two or four.
University Sleeping Tips
When you’re away from home for the first time, we know how hard it can be to get a bedroom routine down. So, here are some tips to make the task of getting to sleep just a little bit easier:
- Exercise during the day (but not within three hours of bedtime). Remember when your parents used to take you to the park to ‘tire yourself out’? This is pretty much the same thing, but without your parents putting a plaster on your knee when you fall over. Ideally, try to do some vigorous exercise, but if you don’t have time for that, try walking! Whether it’s a planned scenic walk or just skipping the bus into town today, getting a bit of exercise during the day is step one to sleeping like a log.
- Don’t overdose on caffeine. Energy drinks will give you a buzz and cinnamon lattes taste great, but they are pretty much the opposite of sleep. Even if you do everything else on this list perfectly, drinking more than three cups of coffee or two energy drinks will completely cancel out your hard work. After 3 pm, it’s best to stick to herbal or fruit teas and water, if you like getting to bed on time. Failing that, take some inspiration from nan and have a “nice, hot cocoa” before bed.
- Perfect your sleeping space. It’s important to make sure that your sleeping space is optimised for sleep. Make sure your bed and pillows are comfy and that your room is cool, quiet and light-free. It might be wise to invest in some blackout curtains as they block out both light and outside noise.
Got your university style up and running? Show us on Instagram by tagging us, or use the hashtag #athomewithhomescapes.
